First Look: Zoncello Limoncello Spritz – First a Drink, Now a Yarra Valley Destination

Zoncello limoncello spritz was the drink of 2023 and inspired imitators across the country. Maker Zonzo Estate, a 10-year-old Yarra Glen winery, followed up with Bellina (a peach spritz) and Cicchio (a pistachio spritz) soon after.

Now it’s spun the hype into Zoncello Yarra Valley, a stylish new restaurant, bar and home for the growing spritz family. It’s taken over the former Innocent Bystander site in Healesville, with a drastic refit led by interior designer Claire Larritt-Evans. Gold-capped festoon lights dangle below billowing fabric panels that evoke the sun sails often strung across busier streets in hot Mediterranean cities. Nearly everything is bespoke, including a Berkel meat slicer, stripped back and sprayed bright yellow to reflect Zoncello’s flamboyant identity.

“This isn’t just a side gig, it’s a big business,” says Zonzo founder Rod Micallef. He wants the venue to “give meaning and seriousness to the spritz”, a category that’s still on the rise in Australia, given the trend towards lower ABV drinks. And there’s more bubbling on the horizon, with the Negroni-like Roro spritz due for retail release in mid-October but available to try now in Healesville.

The space brims with youthful energy. Italian house plays loudly, colourful pyramids of spritz bottles beckon from a small shop and steaming pizzas fly out of the kitchen.

After some experimentation, executive chef David Petrilli, formerly of Marameo, landed on a dough that’s somewhere between the famous Neapolitan style and the lesser-known Tuscan style. There are seven red (tomato-based) and three white (olive-oil-based) options, from the quintessential margherita to a funky number with gorgonzola, taleggio, parmesan and spicy honey. Handmade pasta goes even further: truffled lasagne; duck ragu on ruffled campanelle; and lobster tail linguine bathing in bisque and herbs.

Before you get into all that, though, there’s the action-packed salumeria, where that bright yellow slicer shaves prosciutto, mortadella, bresaola and more to be paired with stracciatella, burrata, gorgonzola, olives, pickled zucchini and other snacky bits. The arrosticini, a traditional meat skewer from Abruzzo, is also worth your time. Here lamb and chicken are smoked over fragrant white eucalyptus charcoal.

In addition to the four headline spritzes, there’s the full range of Zonzo Estate wines, plus a handful of cocktails featuring spirits from like-minded makers. Micallef believes the spritz is here to stay and hopes Zoncello Yarra Valley can introduce a new generation to spritz culture, including a go-to food match that may surprise – Chinese hotpot.

Zoncello Yarra Valley
316–334 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
(03) 5907 9730

Hours
Thu to Mon 11am–late

zoncello.com.au